Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, on Thursday, said the recent presidential directive withdrawing police personnel from Very Important Persons (VIPs) is a strategic realignment aimed at strengthening frontline policing and protecting vulnerable communities across the country.
Egbetokun made the remarks while addressing journalists in Abuja at a meeting with senior police commanders.
He said the decision to recall officers from VIP security duties was not driven by sentiment but by the urgent need to channel manpower to areas where public safety demands are highest.
According to him, the move aligns with the core mandate of the Nigeria Police Force, which is the protection of citizens, communities, and public order.
He added that a total of 11,566 personnel withdrawn from VIP duties had been redeployed.
“In line with the President’s directive, we have withdrawn a total of 11,566 personnel from VIP protection. These officers are being redeployed to critical policing duties immediately,” he said.
The IGP explained that the withdrawal would enable the police to expand manpower deployment for rural and township security, large-scale population protection, intensified patrols, intelligence-led operations, and rapid response to emerging threats.
He warned that the implementation of the VIP withdrawal directive would be carefully managed to prevent misinformation, impersonation, or exploitation by criminal elements.
Detailed guidelines, he said, would be released soon.
“The withdrawal is not a retreat from responsibility, but a reclamation of it,” Egbetokun added.
He noted that recent security incidents—including abductions in Kwara, Kebbi, and Niger states—have reinforced the need to reposition the force and strengthen visibility and deterrence across the country.
Egbetokun said that although security agencies responded swiftly to the attacks, the incidents created the impression in some quarters that the police were not doing enough.
